Boyertown seniors head to Disney, then quarters

AMBLER - Once the game ended, Jess Schlesman and some of her teammates could use a phrase synonymous with victory in sports.

They were going to Disney World.

It had nothing to do with the numbers on the scoreboard, although those were certainly going to make the trip more enjoyable.

Boyertown dismissed Central High of Philadelphia 54-30 in the second round of the PIAA Class AAAA girls basketball tournament at Wissahickon High Tuesday night.

The Bears advanced to face District 1 champ Mount Saint Joseph in the quarterfinals Friday at a site and time to be determined.

Schlesman and Kelly Furman will be doing a lot of traveling between now and then. Boyertown's students were scheduled to leave for their annual senior trip to Orlando, Fla., early this morning.

The basketball players planned on going and flying back in time for the quarterfinals. They'll no doubt be a little road-weary.

"As long as we get our rest, we'll come out ready," Schlesman said.

Coach Jason Bieber knew this scheduling conflict was possible a year ago.

How does he feel about losing two starters to the Florida sun at this stage of the season?

"I left it up to them," Bieber said. "They said: 'Coach, if we ever have a chance to win a state championship, we're going to come back and play. Do you mind if we miss a couple of days of practice?' "

Bieber consented and the plans were sealed.

Boyertown (27-4), the seventh seed out of District 1 had no problem being ready for District 12 runner-up Central (17-7).

The Bears played a nearly flawless first quarter. They scored the first 12 points and held the Lancers to 0-for-9 shooting and seven turnovers before they made their first basket.

Boyertown led 15-2 at the end of the first, 27-8 at halftime and 37-10 midway through the third quarter. It was never competitive.

"This was a shock for us that the game went the way it did," Schlesman said. "We thought the competition was going to be even harder so we stepped our game up. I think that's why we're looking really strong."

Schlesman made all eight of her field goal attempts and scored a team-high 18 points. Kaitlyn Eisenhard had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Boyertown played pretty basketball against an opponent that couldn't match up defensively. The Bears had 16 assists on 24 field goals.

"We were very unselfish," Bieber said. "That's one of the things we talked about in practice. With the way they play defense, if we move the ball around, someone is going to be open and we need to find them."

So Boyertown advanced and its seniors hit the road. Are the underclassmen jealous their teammates are beach bound while they'll be practicing?

"No," Eisenhard said with a laugh. "I'm not a senior yet. We'll get to that."

Disney World can wait. Boyertown's sophomore was just happy she was headed to the quarterfinals.